Matthew 9:1-8

Jesus Heals The Paralyzed Man and Forgives His Sins

2 And they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralytic, "Take courage, son; your sins are forgiven."

3 And some of the scribes said to themselves, "This fellow blasphemes."

4 And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, "Why are you thinking evil in your hearts?

5 "Which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up, and walk'?

6 "But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins"--then He said to the paralytic, "Get up, pick up your bed and go home."

7 And he got up and went home.

8 But when the crowds saw this, they were awestruck, and glorified God, who had given such authority to men.

Revealing Who God Is

Sickness or Sin?

At first glance the story is about Jesus healing sickness as he did many times throughout his ministry but if we dig deeper the paralyzed man was not only ill in body but in spirit.

Jesus understood that the man was not only paralyzed physically but spiritually as well. He felt that the man needed to be forgiven of sin even more than his need for healing. The amazing thing is that Jesus had the power to do both! This amazed the people watching but it also revealed who Christ really was ... God in flesh!

Revelation

The Pharisees had no idea who Jesus really was but, with the single statement in verse two, "Your sins are forgiven." Christ revealed who he really was. The scribes only saw blasphemy in the words. It's sad that they would never understand that Jesus was there to save them from sin also. Sometimes we miss the mark too.

Physical Ailments And Needs VS. Forgiveness And Eternal Life

Not knowing Christ is a more daunting disease than physical sickness because it concerns our souls and salvation for eternity. As Christians, we pray for those around us. I pray almost daily for people I know or those lifted up at church each week who are sick, getting ready for a surgical procedure and, with the downturn in the economy, those who have lost jobs or are facing layoffs in their industry or profession.

These are real concerns and I'm absolutely in favor of praying for all those causes. I also encourage you to pray for God to help those you know who have specific health, financial or emotional needs. He does hear and answer those prayers (although He may not always answer in the way nor the time frame we would like).

What About Those Who Are Lost In Spirit?

When we pray, we also need to think of those who are "sick in spirit" and do not know Jesus. God hears our prayers. He can do his work in the hearts we lift up. Miracles do happen if we will only call the name of a lost person in our prayer.

Love in Christ

- Bob

Matthew 7:15-20 - Jesus Teaches about False Teachers